


Reset

by Booglebog



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Minor Violence, POV First Person, Pining, Romance, Science Fiction, Sensuality, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29460159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Booglebog/pseuds/Booglebog
Summary: You wake up on the floor of your old high school building. Your bff is there and several old classmates except one you don't recognize who takes immediate attention in you. No one remembers how they got there and no one can leave. As time wears on you start to wonder if he's the one orchestrating it because he seems to have all the answers.
Relationships: 10th Doctor/Original Female Character
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	1. Is This A Dream?

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfiction. I am so excited and nervous!! Haha  
> My friend told me we are 8 billionish on this planet, there's bound to be people who enjoy the same stuff as me so here goes.  
> It's been an idea bouncing in my head for a looong time.  
> I am writing this for me and my enjoyment but I hope you like it too! :)

The playlist was of the spotify variety, a jumbled mix of classic Disney songs - I was on a renaissance Dinsey kick and was in the mood for some tunes to match. I was working through my nightly routine of brushing, washing, detangling, lotion and the like when my bathroom light bulb flickered down to nothing before electrically humming and returning to normal. I frowned as I had to reset my music also. "Weird," I said aloud as I focused my attention back to the mirror.

Tonight had been disappointing. I'd spent an hour and a half showering, putting my hair up, and doing my makeup, all things I didn't normally expend energy on, for a blind date. One I had actually been looking forward to. As I'd been putting on my shoes he texted to say he forgot he made previous plans. I wasn't dumb. I could take a hint. 

So there I stood, high-waisted, grey, pj pants that cuffed around my calf, nude camisole, hair like I was attending an opera with makeup to match. A mountain of comfort snacks waiting on my bed and Cinderella queued up on my TV. I began pulling out the bobbey pins, grateful I hadn't teased it or sealed it in hairspray. My honey-blonde mane was now a thick mass of beachy curls hanging just between my shoulder blades. I stared at myself critically in the mirror. I was a bit heavier set than those Hollywood models with a face a bit more round than I'd like but my freckles and large blue-blue eyes were my favourite features. And I liked to think I had a nice round bum, especially accentuated by these pants.

Did he cancel because I wasn't a size zero? I groaned in frustration. Nearly 24 years of working on self-esteem and confidence brought to its knees by a man I didn't even know. There was a chance he had other pressing plans. Perhaps it was work...but then he would have specified. A family emergency? It would certainly explain the privacy but no he'd explicitly said he made other plans but forgot. Dinner with parents? But then why not make a raincheck?

"Who. Cares." I finally said to my reflexion in the mirror, finger pointing at myself for emphasis. Flipping my hair back I made my move for the TV, choosing to deal with my face later. It was late, true, but it made me feel pretty and I needed the pick-me-up. I sat on the couch, reaching for my fuzzy blanket when all the lights and the TV flickered down to black only this time they didn't return to their normal brightness.

It wasn't until I felt the cold concrete on my cheek and the slight stiffness in my back that it occurred to me I had fallen unconcscious. I groaned, my eyelids still feeling heavy as though I wasn't ready to wake up after a short nap. Sitting up, I was shocked by my surroundings. Instead of my warm living room, mountain of food, and TV, I found myself in a classroom. A familiar one, my old high school. Blinking in surprise, I stood up, taking it all in. I hadn't been back here in over 3 years. It was the same as I'd left it, teacher's desk in the corner, large bay window next to it overlooking the playground...odd. There used to be swings and a jungle gym down below. Perhaps they moved it. The sky was dark, the moon full, as if there'd been no time jump at all. The clock on the wall was stopped at 12:30, but the digital one on the desk was at a little past 12 o'clock. I touched the pane, it was cold. The desk was hard beneath my fingers and when I pulled a chair out it scraped against the floor in the same grating way as when I was 17. The room, which doubled as a chemistry lab, even smelled the same. An odd mixture of leather, fermeldahide, and lemon scented sanitizer.

This was such a vivid dream. That had to be it. I'd had dreams before that I thought were real, this was another one like it. The old pinch n'wake never worked on me so I didn't even bother. I sat at the desk reminiscing high school times. The highs and lows had been much further apart then, mountainously so. I was grateful for the near prairie level of contentment I enjoyed now in adulthood. 

Standing up, I wandered over to the door. It opened easily, silently. I nearly bumped into Gemma, a friend whom I'd met back in high school and friends we remained.

"Lacey?" 

"Hey. Did you bring me here?" Of the two of us, I was more mischevious and prone to pranking. As soon as I finished my question I could tell she hadn't. She was crying and hugging me tightly. Gemma never cried.

"I've been alone for hours! I don't know how I got here, one minute I was driving home the next I woke up here." I envied her shoes, and blush pink knitted sweater, the concrete was already making me cold and the thin spaghetti strap camisole did little for coverage. "Are we dead? Is this hell?"

I stifled a laugh. "I don't think so. I think Hell will be a bit more hot and painful."

Gemma managed a smile, already calming down. Her lioness mane had been tamed into a messy topknot and today she wore contacts. "Why aren't you scared?"

"I don't know," I replied honestly. Her green eyes stared down at me perplexed. I knew she was thinking what I was thinking. Why hadn't she just left? 

"I tried all the exits and they're all locked. I tried smashing them, picking them, prying them open. Nothing works."

"Well, there's two of us now so perhaps we can do it." I said optimistically.

"Maybe they'll even be unlocked." We reached the vestibule and it was neat as a pin. "Where...? I had chairs and tools in here before." She explained nervously.

I frowned. "Don't panic. Let's just see if we can find more." I suggested brightly masking my worry. 

Gemma went up to the glass door overlooking the empty parking lot, lit up by streetlamps, and worked the handles. Both were locked tight. Even slamming them in frustration did nothing, not even wiggle the glass. "The office has chairs," she said sighing in frustration. "The tools are in the shop classroom in the basement, I'll go get the sledgehammer." 

I wandered into the office. None of the chairs I could lift looked heavy enough, still I grabbed one returning to the vestibule. Lifting it above my head I swung at the glass beside the door but all it did was shoot me flat on my butt. That wouldn't work I decided, rubbing the pain out of my tush. Perhaps a nail and a hammer?

Gemma returned, sledgehammer in tow.

"I don't think sheer force is going to work."

Ignoring me she pulled back ready to strike when a loud crash came from upstairs. The loft from upstairs overlooked the vestibule and glancing up, we saw Gemma's boyfriend, Marshall turn the corner. Excitedly, she dropped the hammer and together, we ran up the stairwell to meet him.

He looked disoriented. "Gemma, Lacey? What's going on?" 

Marshall Shemmin was my first serious crush. He wasn't tall but was broad and lean from a lifetime of farmwork. I was 15 then and it began with him looking at me every time he entered a room. Once I noticed I couldn't stop. He smiled at me during presentations, every time I entered the room I was his focus until I took my seat. Marshall, who bullied me in our younger years for being ugly and fat was paying _me a_ ttention. What began as curious glances in return to his interest became a crush that lasted about a year. It wasn't meant to be more. All it took to get over him was an immature, melodramatic outburst at his friend. Shortly after, he began dating a girl in the grade below us and I knew I was over him because I couldn't have cared less. Three months ago, Gemma and he started dating.

Gemma hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're here! You have to help us! The exits are all locked. We don't know how we got here and we're not strong enough to break the glass." 

Gemma and I led him to the vestibule. The discarded chair and hammer were gone. My eyes widened in shock. "It was right here." I exclaimed indicating the missing chair. Gemma looked fearful and Marshall skeptical. I rushed to the office, it was exactly where I first found it.

"It's like the school reset," I mused. Just what was going on?

"Is there a pickaxe anywhere?" He asked after trying the locks himself.

"There might be, under the gym?" Suggested Gemma.

"But that's a chapel now." I argued. I had attended my brother's graduation there, even Marshall was taking my side.

"What are you talking about? It's all storage." Gemma insisted.

She led us to the basement and sure enough, what once was a decorated, carpeted chapel, complete with a stage and functioning sound system, was a concrete space. It was filled with old desks, drama props, tools, discarded drywall and tiles, and boxes filled with books. Marshall and I exchanged worried glances.

"This room was finished. I have photos in my phone." Marshall brought it out of his pocket but the black screen refused to light up. "What the...I just charged this. Does your phone work?"

"I didn't have it on me when I..." I didn't know how to explain it, "when I got here." I finished lamely.

He nodded, "let's check the tools. We need something sharp."

Luckily enough we found a pickaxe but only one. The flat end was broken and jagged but she would get it done. 

We marched upstairs and Marshall wound back and pounded the glass. It rattled, just slightly. The lights wurred, hummed and dimmed down to near blackness before returning to normal. Burning just as brightly like nothing ever hindered their shine. 

"That seemed to do something." Gemma said glancing at the lights. "Try again." 

We heard a groan and all of us froze. Dropping the pickaxe we rushed into the office. My lip curled in disdain at the unwelcome sight of Justin, holding his head and blinking in confusion at his new surroundings. I glanced at Gemma and I could see she felt similarly. 

Justin Brown was tall with brown hair and a clean face. His eyes were shrewd and his nose too large for his face. He had an obsessive crush on Gemma their grade eleven year. For the blink of an eye she thought she might like him back until she changed her mind. Heartbroken and angry he spent the subsequent year getting close to me to try and squeeze information about her from me. When he realized that wouldn't work, he shed the light on our friendship for what it was - Justin using me to get to Gemma.

Now Gemma and I, well, we loathed him. Marshall was all smiles helping him up, explaining our bizzaro situation.

"How many people do you think will join our little party?" I asked sardonically.

"You're making jokes?" Accused Justin. 

"Wait until more of our buddies show up and you'll experience the humour." I shot back. 

"The pickaxe is gone." Marshall breathed, reality sinking in.

"How do we know this isn't all a dream?" Justin pinched his arm leaving a red mark.

"That we're all having at the same time?" Retorted Gemma.

"It could happen," he sniffed weakly.

I rolled my eyes. "Haven't you heard the saying, once is normal, twice a coincidence, but three times? It's a charm, Justin!" I cried.

"Fine, fine. But then, just what is happening?"

I glanced at the building around us. Everything was perfectly normal except the unusually strong glass and resetting items. An idea struck me, grabbing a hefty paperweight I chucked it at the wall. It left a large gouge in the drywall. I proceeded to make the hole bigger. It crumbled beneath my strength like any normal wall would.

"What are you doing?" Asked Justin, his tone haughty and annoying as usual.

Holding the paperweight I led the group outside the office. "I'm trying an experiment. What makes the items reset?"

"Timer?" Suggested Marshall.

"No. I was alone for hours before the items reset the first time but with Lacey it was minutes."

"Yes. And you checked all the rooms while you were alone?" Gemma nodded, eyes widening as she began to understand my thought train. In the blink of an eye the paperweight in my hand disappeared. We all gasped and rushed back into the office. The drywall was as before, pristine and white. "It was our arrival that reset the items." 

"And someone just arrived." Marshall continued my thought. "Let's split up and check everywhere."

"What if they're dangerous?" Gemma quivered.

"It's probably someone we know given our track record so far," I explained gesturing to the group.

"You can stay with me if you're scared," Marshall consoled her and she gladly took his hand. "We'll head upstairs. Lacey you go down, Justin take the main." 

We split up quickly calling out friendly hellos. 

At the bottom of the western stairwell I found Dan, sitting up looking around cautiously.

"Lacey? What's going on?" I helped him stand, at a loss for words.

Dan Winaire was my first true love. He was short, the shortest of all the guys, but well-built from a career in football and track. His hair was jet-black and stylized with gel and his beard as neat as a freshly cut summer lawn. His almond eyes weren't symmetrical but I always thought that added to his charms. We'd become friends when I was 15 but it wasn't until we were 17 and he broke up with his longtime girlfriend that we became best friends. Shortly after I fell head over for him but he was too busy pursuing Gemma and using me to garner information about her to take me seriously. The pair dated for a week but it was probably a full year for him to get over her. Another year yet for me to realize he was using me and finally put him behind me. You never do though, with first loves. Not really.

To my relief, he too was shoeless and in sweats, like he was also in the middle of his nightime routine.

"I found him!" I called up the western stairwell, it let out into the vestibule.

Thunderous footsteps roared through the echoing hall as our group reunited. The men chatted glad to see each other after so long despite the circumstances while Gemma looked around hopelessly.

"They're all..."

"Your exes?" I finished for her, arms folded as the guys chatted. "Given how well they're getting along it's safe to assume there aren't any hard feelings."

"No. I meant... everyone here is related to me somehow. I was here first. Do you think this has something to do with me?" 

I thought for a moment. "I don't know what this is. We're all connected. You being first might have been a coincidence."

"True..." but her tone betrayed her doubt.

"Even if it does have something to do with you, it's not like you orchestrated this. We aren't going to blame you."

"I haven't had a chance to properly say 'hi'. Good seeing you, Gemma." Justin greeted awkwardly. He was excited but trying to cover it and failing miserably. And as usual, completely ignored me when Gemma was near.

My eyes looked heavenward. It was like the epilogue to high school no one wanted or asked for. "This is a peak into your high school reunion," I joked.

She laughed loudly. "Yes!" 

My eyes wandered to Dan who was intently paying attention to Marshall. I would not be pathetic like Justin.

"Let's try opening the door again," Marshall piped up. "I could rattle the windows before, maybe if we all try together the glass will break."

"There should be normal hammers in the shop classroom." Dan said, already making his way down into the basement with Marshall in tow for the pickaxe.

"So, are you seeing anyone?"

I didn't have to ask to know Justin's question was directed at Gemma. It was a cruel joke I was stuck in a prison with Gemma and 3 of her exes. Were more to come? James and David and Kaleb might be among them. Things could get complicated if more were to show up. Kaleb practically hated Marshall, and Justin would never admit it but he was very jealous of Dan.

"Actually Marshall and I have been seeing each other for a while." She was innocent as a kitten but I knew Gemma better, she basked in the attention.

Justin swallowed hard, regret lining his face. If he weren't suck a dick I might've felt sorry for him. He flat-out told me of his less than noble intentions at the end but he never apologized for using me.

Dan and Marshall returned. Dan took his try on the lock. Unlike before it jiggled but ultimately wouldn't budge. So, the three timed it together each swinging at the same time. The glass rattled, seeming close to breaking, but still, not even a scratch.

"It seems the more people who come, the more weakened the windows become," reasoned Marshall.

"So we just need to wait until the next person arrives." Chimed in Gemma.

"Maybe we should stop to think," I cautioned as an overwhelming sensation of dread washed over me.

"Think about what?" Asked Justin rudely.

"Well, for starters, why are we here? Why us? Why can't we leave, where exactly are we? You know, those types of questions before we go smashing windows."

"She does have a point. Who put us here? Maybe breaking the glass is exactly what they want." Suggested Dan. 

Marshall sighed. "Fine, but how are we supposed to find those answers in here?"

"Maybe the answers lie elsewhere. We could look at the books and papers in all the desks. Maybe there are some clues there." I suggested, trusting the uncertainty in my gut.

"I already did that. The only thing I found was that the school seems to be stuck in the year Lacey and Marshall graduated. I found papers with your names on it and rollcall lists.The archives don't go past that year either. It's like we were plopped into the middle of that school year." 

"That would explain the unfinished chapel." I said nodding to Marshall. 

The pickaxe and hammers suddenly disappeared. 

"What just happened?" Asked Dan incredulously.

"It's being reset again." I explained. 

"Let's go find mystery man number 4. Which ex will it be next?" Asked Justin tauntingly. 

Gemma glared at him and marched upstairs dragging Marshall with her. 

"You're an idiot," sneered Dan. "Come on, Lacey." He grabbed my arm to drag me along when we heard an unfamiliar voice from up in the loft. 

"They've found him." Justin said bounding up the steps. I shook my arm free to follow, Dan on my heels.

"Who are you?" Justin asked suspiciously.

"Well hello! I'm the-" 

Dan and I rounded the corner rendering the man speechless. The stranger was tall and lean with great brown hair and old brown eyes wearing a peculiar blue suit and...converse. To top it off he wore a long trench coat but who was I to judge, I was in my pajamas. Still, I envied him the shoes. My feet were horrendously dirty and cold. It was time I rumage through the lockers to find shoes and a sweater.

The man stared at me intently. I didn't know who he was and looked at Gemma for reference but she seemed as lost as I. Just who was he? Obviously not one of Gemma's old flames.

"Your name?" Justin inquired again, leaning in. 

"John Smith." 


	2. Where Are We?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Constable John Smith advises you not to leave the building. Your former classmates don't listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2!!  
> So excited, hope you enjoy!  
> Let me know what you think :)

John Smith was familiar and yet I knew I'd never seen him in all my life. Everyone introduced themselves and when it came to my turn he extended a hand and a bright smile. Tentatively, I took it.

"Lacey," I smiled awkwardly.

"Lacey, eh? Can I just...?" Reaching into his pocket he took out a cylindrical wand with a glowing blue head and began waving it up and down my body, grasping my hand tightly.

"Get that screwdriver away from me!" I cried without thinking, wriggling my hand free.

His smile furrowed into a deep frown, not of anger but confusion as he looked intently at the pen. "How did you know it was a screwdriver?" He finally looked up at me waiting patiently.

All eyes stared at me and I suddenly felt no bigger than an ant. "I....I don't know," I confessed. In truth the word just popped out of me.

As if putting a pin in the conversation he turned his attention to the group. "So. What's the problem here?" He asked, a touch of excitement in his voice and a gleam in his eye.

"We're all stuck here. We woke up on the floor, same as you, the doors won't budge. We've tried everything." Explained Marshall calmly.

"You all came together?"

"No. First Gemma, then Lacey, me, Justin, and Dan. Now you."

"Do you all know each other?" He asked pointing at us.

"Yeah. We all went to highschool together." Explained Dan.

"This high school?"

Gemma nodded. "It's like it's stuck in the year Marshall and Lacey graduated. But that was over five years ago. Rooms that were finished no longer are."

"You graduated? You? From here?" The question was directed at me.

"Yes. With Marshall, as she said." I replied feeling very put on the spot.

"And another thing," shot in Dan, "the building resets every time someone new comes along."

That piqued his interest. I could tell but all he managed was a: "Does it?" He brought out the scredriver again wirring over the floor, walls, and objects, glancing at me like I too wasn't right.

"Ok. What is that thing? And who are you really?" Demanded Justin.

"This is my sonic screwdriver." He brought out black glasses and popped them on his nose, staring at his screwdriver like he was reading fine print. "Nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary here." Walking to the nearest wall he took a great big lick, pondering the taste. Looking up he scanned our bewildered faces. Justin was red in the face about ready to lose his top. Tearing his glasses off he reached into his coat pulling out a notepad. "Average humans in trouble makes me... Constable John Smith. I'm here to help."

Justin leaned in to read the image clearer. "Fine, fine. Glad to see you."

"Oh thank the Lord," breathed Gemma.

I stared at the page in fear. I wasn't sure what they were looking at but in neat black lettering was just one word: Doctor. I wanted to say something but this John fellow was treating me like an anomoly and if I was the only one seeing strange things it must be the panic muddling my brain.

"Do you all know each other?" An awkward hum of everyone trying to explain our connections met his question. Finally, Justin bluntly blurted the truth. "We're all Gemma's exes. 'Cept Marshall, he's with her now."

"Oh? Even you?" He asked me, laughter in his eyes.

"Uh, no. My pendulum doesn't swing that way." I replied hiding a smirk.

"We're best friends." Gemma finished for me.

"Does it have to do with Gemma? I mean we're all connected so intimately with her." Asked Dan.

"I rather think not."

"How come?" She asked hotly, hands folding over her chest.

"I think it has to do with Lacey." His eyes bored right through me.

"Me?" I asked, shocked and becoming embarassed by the sudden attention everyone was giving me. Unlike Gemma the spotlight didn't suit me.

"Why do you think that?" Asked Justin, giving me a condescending side-eye.

"Because of me," said John. "I don't know Gemma. But I do know Lacey."

"What?" My old school mates glanced at me curiously. "I've never met you before in my life." I insisted.

"You don't remember, perhaps, but we have met." I wracked my brain trying to remember him. All I got was a gut feeling that he was right. Something about John seemed like an old memory, like misplacing your wallet and years later finding it again. But something so much more precious than a mere wallet.

"Maybe now that you're here, we can open the doors," suggested Marshall brightly, grabbing our attentions from the awkward confusion.

The troupe descended the stairwell quickly, running to the basement for supplies. John took his time, his screwdriver out waving it at everything. The hum resonated at an annoying frequency but when he waved over the outer wall the hum skyrocketed in intensity. "Oh, hang on." He paused waving it slowly over the wall checking and rechecking. I paused to investigate with him. "This can't be right..." he muttered to himself.

"What is it?" I asked, eyes on the wall, walking towards it slowly. I placed a hand on both the inner and outer wall and to my surprise the outer wall was icy-cold to the touch. "Come see." I beckoned him over and he followed, placing a hand next to mine comparing the moderate temperature with the freezing.

"It's like the innner workings are real. Normal wood and plumbing and wires - all the things that make an ordinary building. But the wall facing outside, it's metal. It's covered in a perception filter. That alters-"

"I think that one's self-explanatory."

A soft smirk lifted his features. "Yes. Well."

"Can you fix it?"

"Of course!" He whipped out his one-size-fits-all sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the wall. Nothing happened. "That's odd." He didn't bother trying again. "You said you've been here for hours?"

"No, Gemma has. Me, maybe an hour now." He stepped back glaring instensely at the wall. Getting close again he knocked on it softly, then harder, licking it and sifting through the taste. "Ooph, this is old. Really old."

"Do you make a habit of licking things?"

"Only things that don't make sense." His eyes traced my length and for a fraction of a moment I thought he might lick _me_.

"So, tell me, Lacey, what is an old building doing posing as a 21st century, human, high school? And why is it dragging its alumni back here?"

"I don't know."

His eye lit up, "me neither." 

"Constable, why did your notepad say Doctor?"

His smiled was sheepish. "I should have known psychic paper wouldn't work on you." As I waited for further explanation the wall rattled sounding like how a metal door might when banged violently. The lights hummed and flickered casting us in shadow before mustering up their old shine. Another bang rattled the wall and warped the lights again. "What is that?" He asked befuddled.

"They're trying to break the glass," I explained. The lights hummed again and we fell into darkness, only the lights didn't flicker back on immediatelty. Then, one by one they hummed back to life, shining just as brightly. But John was gone.

"Don't!" He cried racing down the stairwell. "Stop!" He ordered. I hastened my pace and once I reached the vestibule I saw him, arms outstretched in caution.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," his tone was urgent.

"Why not?" Retorted Justin.

"The lights." He pointed above our heads.

"What about them?" Chirped Gemma.

"They're a warning. The humming is like water pressure building, get too high and the tank bursts."

"And we're in the tank." Reasoned Marshall, dropping the pickaxe with a loud clang. John nodded slowly.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Asked Justin, stubbornly gripping the sledgehammer.

"We should stop and think for a moment. Have you tried calling someone?"

"We didn't have to. The police came to us." Commented Dan. John looked at us quizzically.

"Yes, it was lucky Constable John fell into our laps." I quickly reitterated.

"Ohh right right. Constable John, that's me."

"Actually, none of the technology is working." Marshall brought out his phone. John shook it next to his ear like he expected it to rattle. He slammed it against the wall. Shattered glass went flying and the inner organs of the phone lay bare. 

"Yeah, it doesn't work." He said matter-of-factly, handing the broken phone to its owner.

"What the hell'd you do that for?" Cried Marshall.

"Sorry." He paused but I thought he didn't sound sincere. "Do the other computors work?" He asked innocently, hand indicating to the office.

"No," Gemma shook her head.

John headed there anyway. He tried everything to turn it on but the black screen persisted and the sonic also didn't betray any secrets. Without warning he smashed the monitor. As before its inner workings looked like a normal computor with a paperweight lodged in the center. He headed to the light switch but even flicked off, the lights didn't miss a beat. "Where's the electrical room?" 

At the bottom of the stairwell, near the chapel was the electrical room. John did the same, flicking switches, sonic screwdriver, unplugging and smashing but the lights didn't flinch. 

"Where do they get their power source?"

"I thought you said if we break the perception filter we'd be able to see how things are running."

"Did I say all that? The lights must be a part of a bigger mechanism. One we can't see."

"What are you saying?" I asked glancing at the lights warily.

"Maybe it's in another room?" 

"Like a room we wouldn't expect. Like the loo or a janitor's closet."

"Now you're talking."

"We should open the doors." Justin was suddenly there watching our exchange.

"I don't think that's a good idea. We have no idea what's out there. It could be the vaccum of space for all we know." 

Justin laughed mirthlessly. "The vaccum of space? Please, we're willing to take our chances." Justin added coolly. 

"What do you mean?" Asked John, his voice tight.

The lights hummed, straining like wheels under a heavy load. John grabbed my hand and we ran for the vestibule, Justin hot on our heels. "Stop! Wait!" He roared anxiously.

As we entered the vestibule Dan pushed open the door. The lock hitched out of its latch and the door swung open. Cool wind wooshed from the parking lot. We peered outside. Everything was quiet. Not a soul was to be seen. But then a streetlamp hummed loudly until it burst, followed by its neighbors. One by one moving closer until the street was shrouded in darkness. The view from the doorway was completely dark. It didn't stop. The lights above our heads followed the same pattern. Gemma screamed at the falling glass, running to take cover. I watched as one by one the lights hummed out of control, smashing into millions of tiny shards. The building went black. The feeling of falling enveloped me. 


	3. Prison or Bunker?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's happening...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Things will be wrapped up soon. Probably.....sorry >_<

I woke up on the cold, hard, floor once more. Blinking hard I sat up, more confused than ever. I glanced out the window. The view seemed...off. Like it was further away but only slightly.  
  
The door behind me slammed open and John came running in anxiously. His look of concern was so touching and for a moment I thought he might hug me. At the last second he thought better of it, content just to see I was unharmed.  
  
"Check your feet!" He ordered.  
  
I glanced down surprised to see they were clean.  
  
"Is everyone here?" I asked slowly.  
  
He shook his head. "Just us so far. Where did you wake up?"   
  
I pointed to a spot on the floor which he studied. To me it was just ordinary concrete. Not even a scratch scarred the floor so just what was he looking at?  
  
"Constable John," I drawled slowly, he glanced at me. "Who are you really? You're smarter than the average man but too nutty to be a policeman. You haven't even asked for our statements or called for back-up." He said nothing but looked at me with a hard expression. "I don't even think you have a gun."  
  
He scoffed. "Why does everyone want guns? It's all guns guns with you people."  
  
"Tasers can be just as effective," I added, confused by his anger.  
  
He rolled his eyes. "You know what I do have?" He reached into his trench coat pocket, pulling out a rubber duck. He tossed it to me. It was nothing fancy, just an ordinary little yellow duck.  
  
"For those impromptu baths?" I asked quizzically.  
  
He smiled. "Nah, I use it to measure changes in barometric pressure."  
  
"Of course. That was my second guess." I tossed it back and he returned it to his pocket, replacing it with a stethoscope. As he listened to the concrete, Gemma and her entourage came flooding in.   
  
"We've been looking for you!" Cried Gemma. "You didn't hear us call?"  
  
"I thought you said it was just us?" I asked John.  
  
He shrugged. "I know. I lied."  
  
Rolling my eyes I asked if everyone was alright which everyone affirmed.  
  
Marshall stepped forward. "Look." He gave me his phone. "John just smashed this. I woke up with it in my pocket, clean as new."  
  
I took it from him, testing it in my hands. "And the computors?"  
  
"All back to normal," confirmed Gemma.  
  
John and I glanced at each other.   
  
"Sooo, what? If we leave we just...?" Justin asked, concern finally digging through his bravado.  
  
"Reset." John said quietly.   
  
"It's like we're a part of the building now." Dan said, panic lacing his tone.  
  
"When you woke up was everything the same?" Asked John.  
  
I glanced around the room, trying to remember. "The clocks. They've gone backwards." The wall said 11:00 and the desk 11:47. "Before both were past 12 before."  
  
"Like time is going backwards?" Asked Gemma fearfully.  
  
"Or we were just out that long." Marshall said calmly.  
  
"That didn't feel like 12 hours," argued Justin.  
  
"Time could be moving differently here," suggested Dan.  
  
"Or it could be a countdown." John said staring at the clocks.  
  
We were silent for a time. The clock happily ticking forward like nothing was amiss.  
  
"Counting down to what?" Asked Justin, voice like a mouse.  
  
He turned, a smile on his face. "Who knows?"  
  
I swatted at him. "Stop trying to scare us!"  
  
"I'm going to try again." Justin blurted. "This time I'm gonna make a run for it."  
  
"What's the use? It didn't work before." Dan asked, frustration evident.  
  
"But it might now." He retorted, still having no patience for this rival.  
  
"I think we need to stop and ask why we're here." Marshall said, settling on a chair. "We've tried everything else."  
  
"Short of making a run for it." Gemma argued, surprising everyone. She never sided with Justin.  
  
"What if resetting hurts us?" Asked Dan impatiently.  
  
"Ah," John cut in, "it won't. These spots are like a teleport. But not."  
  
"What are they then?" Asked Justin, unhappy with his explanation.  
  
"Technically speaking they're a teleport linking our bodies and consciousness to a devolving time loop that may or may not be travelling backwards whilst also teleporting our bodies to a fixed point." He glanced at me like I should be impressed by his geek talk but we all stared at him blankly.  
  
"No, ya, it's a teleport. " He finished curtly.  
  
"So it won't hurt us no matter how many times we pass through it?" Asked Gemma.  
  
"Well, mostly. Probably. Ya." John didn't sound convinced. "Ya."  
  
"Wait, how do you know all this?" Demanded Justin. "You could be making all this up. Teleports and-and time loops. It's ridiculous."  
  
"I'm clever. Smarter than you lot that't for sure."  
  
"And yet you're stuck here with us," Dan piped in coolly.  
  
"Everybody calm down," Marshall finally cut in. "I think it would be in our best interest to just figure things out."  
  
"But we've looked at everything already! What more can we find?" Groaned Justin.  
  
"Does this room seem bigger to you?" Gemma suddenly asked looking about the room. We all looked at it with news eyes and I had to admit it seemed bigger, if even a little.  
  
John ran from the room and glanced left and right. Taking giant steps, he walked methodically up and down the corridor. Then took out his blue wand reading the six walls encasing us all over again.  
  
Needing a break from the tension in the room I wandered over to the lockers. I was surprised to see my familiar green lock on my old locker.  
  
"I wonder..." Reaching down I punched in the digits and it clicked open. The door creaked as I pulled it open. Familiar textbooks and pictures held in place by little frog magnets filled the metal cabinet. It was all my stuff from my graduating year. I was taken aback. A sweater hung on a hook and I pulled it over my head and sneakers meant for gym class were placed neatly on the ground. These would be handy in keeping me warm.  
  
My hands glided over the old photos. I hadn't seen those people in years other than Gemma. Back when I gdaduated I missed the place terribly but as I got older it was just a fond memory.  
  
I shut the door and followed John back into the classroom. They'd begun argueing again.  
  
"Then why not focus on us? It's a prison for us, that has to mean something, right?" Asked Dan innocently.  
  
"Alright, _constable._ Why are we here?" Asked Marshall pointedly.  
  
"How should I know?" Asked John.  
  
"You seem to have all the answers," quipped Justin.  
  
"Maybe you put us here," accused Dan.  
  
"Ya!" Reiiterated Justin. "We all went to highschool 'cept you. We don't even know you. You've been trying to keep us in here the whole time."  
  
"I told you, Lacey and I know each other."  
  
"You could just be saying that." Marshall jutted in.  
  
"I'm telling you, she and I are very well-acquainted." His hands were up in defense.  
  
"Fine. Be it as that may, if going through the door only means being teleported what's the harm? What if one time we make it?" Asked Marshall calmly.  
  
John squirmed, I could tell he didn't like not having the answer.  
  
"What's the harm?" Echoed Gemma.  
  
"We don't even know what this place is." He cautioned. The urgency is his voice made me want to listen to him.  
  
"Sure we do, it's a prison." Dan explained matter-of-factly.  
  
"What if it's not. What if it's a bunker?" John's voice sent shivers up my spine.  
  
"A bunker?" Gemma asked confused.  
  
John nodded. "What if the point wasn't to keep us in but to keep something else out?"


	4. If not Home, Where?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things continue to grow stranger the more times the door is opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry this update is late!!  
> I have midterms and a bff's birthday which ate up my time.  
> That being said, please enjoy!

The silence was heavy and long. The group sat staring about at one another for some time before Justin gathered up his courage.  
  
"I'm going." He stood up. "You can't stop me."  
  
"He has a point, Justin." Gemma cautioned, once again joining the majority.  
  
He shook her comment off. "Don't you think if something else was in here we'd have heard it by now? Or seen it?"  
  
We all grew silent again, listening intently. Nothing. Not even the rumble of pipes or the natural audible stretch a building does every so often. Even the air circulation was quiet. It was becoming eery.  
  
"Why don't we figure out why we're here before opening the door again?" Suggested Marshall once more.  
  
"We tried that and it did nothing. There is _nothing_ here. I think the answers lie out there." He gestured to the window. "I'm going." He bolted through the door, slamming it shut behind him. Everyone sprang into action but he was already at the stairwell by the time we made it into the hall, saluting at us like the arse he was.  
I made it to the loft rail just in time to see him open the door. The lights hummed louder and louder before smashing as before. Blackness clouded my vision as I tumbled over the rail, losing consciousness.  
  
I awoke with a start expecting to feel sore from the fall but I was back in the Chem lab, shoeless and freezing.   
  
I was about to march back to the old locker when I noticed the window. It looked bigger. Much bigger. The classroom too had grown. Nauseating nervousness ate at me. I slowly walked towards the window. Scared but unsure why. The sight was suprisingly normal. The playground was as it should be except trees were there. Not many. Just three. And the building was higher.  
  
Tearing myself away I made my way to the lockers. The constable was there, taking giant steps once more through the hallway.  
  
Once I was dressed and warm I stopped to watch John.  
  
"The building is getting bigger but the perception filter is still intact. The readings still say everything's normal. Incredible." He suddenly turned to me. "You got shoes."  
  
I glanced at them. "Yeah, they're my old shoes from high school. I was sick of being barefoot."  
  
"I was barefoot on the moon once," he smiled at me. I felt my knees go weak. I was blushing but not certain as to why. Was he standing closer?  
  
"Wait, the _moon?_ "  
  
Before he could respond, we were interrupted by our entourage of people chattering excitedly.  
  
"He made it outside." Dan breathed.  
  
Justin wormed his way to the front of the group. "From the doorway it's a normal parking lot, right, but once I got outside it's a forest! Loads of trees."  
  
"You must've got past the perception filter. Did you see anything?" Asked John.  
  
"Trees."  
  
"Anything else?" John was masking his frustration albeit not very well.  
  
"No. Just trees."  
  
"We have to go out again. See what you can find."  
  
"I barely had time to get outiside before resetting," he argued.  
  
"We have to try. If we can find out where we are it might help."  
  
"I thought you said leaving was a bad idea?" Gemma folded her arms, glaring up at him.  
  
"We've already opened the bag. There's no closing it now."  
  
The group made it down to the vestibule but not without noticing there were more steps between the floors. Maybe only three but I found the change disconcerting. If looking, the distance between the floors remained the same and yet there were more steps. Everyone else shrugged it off and I couldn't guage John's reaction.  
  
We all stood in the vestibule watching Justin.  
  
"When you get outside look up and tell me what you see. And if there is anything out there besides trees."  
  
Justin nodded solemnly. Psyching himself up he pushed open the door with ease and ran out into the parking lot. The lights were buzzing and smashing as I hit the floor.  
  
I awoke again without even glancing at the room. Cold once again I marched straight to my locker but not without noticing it took several more steps. Even the lockers appeared larger. 

"Why is it getting bigger?" I asked John as I pulled the sweater over my head.

"My guess is the building is bigger than we percieve. Once it reaches its limit things will begin to crumble."

"Why didn't you go outside? You could have observed far more than Justin."

"Listen to me, Nat-" he cleared his throat, "Lacey, neither you nor I can go outside. Do you hear me? Don't, not even if our lives depend on it." He looked me dead in the eyes, leaning down to my level.

Fear churned my stomach. He was being altogether too serious. "Why?" I squeaked.

"Because our lives depend on staying in this building."

I shook away from him. "Explain yourself! You talk like you know everything, waving that stick about. Spouting nonsense about, about being on the moon! You're _enjoying_ this. We're in trouble. You think we're in danger but you act like that's what you want! Did you do this? Did you put us here for your own enjoyment?" 

He looked dumbfounded but my chest heaved furiously. John approached cautiously and put a hand on my shoulder. Instantly the anger and fear shot out of me. His touch was so familiar and reassuring. It was so calming it frightened me.

"I did not do this to you. I'm a timelord. I help people, like a doctor. I travel through time and space on my Tardis."

"Tardis?" I echoed. Why did that sound so familiar? Did I learn it in school?

"Ya. Time and-

"Relative Dimensions in Space," I finished.

He looked mildly surprised but mainly pleased. His brown eyes gleaming down at me.

"Why don't you answer us when we call?" Asked Gemma furiously. "We were getting worried." 

I hadn't heard anything. Were we that engrossed with each other?

Justin came forward. A clump of dirt and grass in his hand and covering his shoes. "I tripped as I left the building. I couldn't see the sky."

John stepped forward excited to see the sample. Even before the dirt made it into his mouth I knew that's where it was headed. The others cringed, I was somehow used to it already. The man licked everything. A searing blush flamed my cheeks as I imagined his tongue intertwined with mine. I had to look away.

What was wrong with me? The man was insane and a liar. I walked to the window and placed my forehead to the glass relishing the cool feeling.

"How did the dirt make it through the reset?" Asked Dan.

"It's...Earth. We're on Earth? In...Canada?" John sounded incredulous, not listening to Dan.

"Sorry, did we doubt we were on Earth?" Asked Gemma, glancing at John and the others. 

My breath caught as I finally saw beyond the glass. "We're not on Earth." I said turning to the group, pointing to the sky.

Everyone rushed to my side. 

The sky was a murky green colour with three, huge, yellow moons taking up a large expanse of the dome above. Trees that weren't there before littered the path beside the school.

"If we're not on Earth, where are we? Hm? Are we suggesting we're on another planet? Like Mars?" Gemma was on the precipice of panic. 

"Please, Mars looks nothing like this," snorted John.

We all glared and he cleared his throat trying to ease tension. 

"Well Earth doesn't have a green sky and three moons," Dan spoke the obvious.

"Do you know where we are?" I pointed the question at John.

"I don't know." It bothered him.

"How many planets can there be with a large forest, green sky, and three yellowy moons?" I countered, trying to break it down.

"More than you could know. This could very well be the perception filter altering our view. The dirt doesn't lie." 

"Maybe it does." I countered. "Maybe it became a part of the reset somehow and it just wants you to _think_ it's Earth." I was spouting complete nonsense but I was tired of John having all the answers.

"Ugh!" He groaned, a hand to his temple like he was a complete moron. "Brilliant!" He smooched my forehead aggressively. "How could I be so stupid?" 

"The filter is trying to tell us it's Earth. All of this is pretending to be a high school on Earth, so when Justin brought it inside the perception filter is now over the dirt!" A flick of his screwdriver confirmed it. He frowned. "I've never not been able to crack a perception filter," he pouted, flinging the dirt back.

"Well, what now?" Asked Marshall.

"Justin confirms that's what the sky looks like." John replied simply.

I awoke on the floor and my eyes drifted to the clock on the wall and the digital one on the desk. The wall said a little past 8 the desk, 8:08.

I froze.

How had I not noticed before? How had John not noticed? Or any of us! A shiver trailed up my spine as the cold returned. I stood quickly, a wave of dizziness passed over me. I shrugged it off in the name of urgency. I had to find John.


	5. What Is That?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out, going through the door may have some unforseen consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can say is enjoy. I pooped out this chapter in record speed so as not to be late (I detest being late) and it turned out better than I expected.

"Doctor, wait!" I cried, freezing in my tracks. 

John, who had just rounded the corner to the stairs, turned slowly, eyeing me up and down, the shadow of a smile on his lips. "Pardon, what?" He asked, walking my way. 

"I said, wait," I squeaked. Why did I call him that? I'd had every intention of saying his name but my mouth rebelled. The notepad he'd shown us when I met him popped into my brain. My heart raced, so fast it almost sounded like 4 lub dubs on top of each other pounding in my ears. Why was I so nervous? 

He was before me now. A touch closer than necessary but it didn't make me uncomfortable, in fact I thought he wasn't close enough. 

"You called me." 

"No, I didn't," I rushed. 

"You did. You called me Doctor." 

His voice was low and his eyes intense. I stammered as I tried to think of an excuse better than the truth, which was that I couldn't explain it. He waited, hand on my arm, pinning me gently. 

"It's...It's like the name Doctor is the only one that could possibly be yours. I look at you...and I know John isn't your name." He breathed heavily as I spoke. It felt like he was sizing me up, down to the very last atom. "I don't know where Doctor came from," I shrugged out of his grasp suddenly self-conscious, "silly, isn't it?" 

"No." 

Gemma and Dan came up from the stairs together, Marshall too, from the bathroom. 

"We heard yelling." Dan explained, eyeing us. "What's the matter?" 

The clocks! How could I have forgotten? 

"Come with me!" I urged, leading the group back to the chem lab. "We noticed that our phones don't work, neither the computers or televisions. But the clocks in this room do." 

"Only in this room. I checked the office and other classrooms." Gemma confirmed. The hand clock ticked forward and the digital sprang a new glowing red digit to confirm my analysis. 

"Gah! Of course! How could I be so stupid!" John whipped out his sonic beaming over the objects, smelling them. The digital clock had no batteries and no cord connecting with the wall. When he tried to remove the one mounted on the wall it wouldn't budge. 

"What's with the clocks?" Asked Justin a smidge dazed, hand rubbing his temple. He slumped onto a desk. 

"How are they powered?" I asked. 

"I...don't know. Perhaps an aerial source? Perhaps this is merely the perception filter and we're looking at something completely different." 

"Why are they set to different times?" Asked Marshall. 

"I don't know." 

"Can you set them to be the same?" Pressed Marshall. 

John palpated the entire box but it was a clean surface. "No." 

"Can you break it?" Asked Dan. 

"I don't think we should." There was that tone again. The one that sent shivers up my spine and fear coil my stomach. The one that my soul urgently insisted I listen. 

"Why not?" He asked. 

"We don't know what it is." 

"There's a lot you don't seem to know." Justin commented dryly. "The sky is what we see through the windows." 

John turned to him, "and the trees. Anything peculiar? Colour, height?" 

"Super tall, normal looking pine trees." Justin sounded bored but I could tell he enjoyed all eyes and ears focused on him. He enjoyed that he employed such an important role. And given the amount of times he glanced at Gemma, he hoped she noticed too. 

"There was nothing? Nothing at all?" 

"Well," he frowned as he remembered, "they didn't smell like pine. It was sort of sweet and minty with something gross. But overpowering, like spraying an aerosal can in a bathroom to cover up the poo-smell you left behind." 

John paced to the whiteboard, hand to his hair, a concentrated frown. I didn't know how but I knew he was eliminating possible planets in his head. He stopped suddenly, fingering a nearby poster, mumbling to himself. 

"You need to go out again but this time, look back at the building. Tell me what you see, draw it if you can." 

"I don't know if he should. Justin's not looking so good." Dan said, glancing at Justin's sweaty brow. 

Now that he said it, Justin did look tired. Bruises were forming under his eyes and his face was red, like he was suffering from a fever. 

John came forward, pushing his glasses onto his face. 

"What, are you also a doctor?" Asked Marshall as John checked his temperature and pupil reactions. 

He sneaked a glance my way. "Yes." 

I stiffened. What was going on here? Who was this man? I trusted him wholeheartedly but I knew I'd only met him a short while ago. Mere hours! And he was smart, impossibly so. He seemed to have a grasp on what was happening to us. I should be suspicious of him, everyone should. He was the black sheep of the group, the tulip that didn't match. None of us knew him despite his claims that he and I were well-acquainted. Logical thought said he was the instigator of all this and yet somehow, in the furthest reaches of my soul, heart, and brain, I knew John was the man who would save us. 

"Passing through the filter so many times must be taking a toll. Someone else will have to go." John explained.

"I will." All eyes turned to Dan. "I can draw well." He explained simply.

"But it's dangerous," warned Gemma, unhappy with the idea of an old friend getting hurt. 

Like highschool all over again I rolled my eyes as Dan puffed his chest out and held her hand reassuringly. "I'll be fine. It's only going to be once." 

She shook her hand free and Marshall, getting jealously protective, retrieved it. 

"I'm okay. I can do it again," Justin struggled to stand. 

"No. You can't." I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dan will go. You're unwell." 

John stared at my hand upon Justin and I suddenly felt like it was misplaced somehow. John stepped back avoiding eye contact, a pained look in his eye. 

"I'll go help the others," he muttered, ducking out of the room. 

Help them what? Open the door? 

I rolled over, feeling sore. Like I'd been on the stone ground for hours. I stood up and the room did a flip. I placed a hand on my head to will the room stop mobility. In moments all was as before. 

A chill creeping up my spine and goosebumps down my arms were becoming too familiar. I huffed as I once again trekked to the locker.

It was eerie how long the hallway was now. And it was warping like hardwood exposed to water. The hallway had a substantial curve to it and I could fit completely in the locker now if I desired.

The group made home base in the chem lab. Dan was set up with papers making as realistic a drawing as he could while John fiddled with the digital clock, which now read 7:31. Gemma and Marshall huddled in the corner angrily whispering and Justin sat dozing at a desk, hopefully sleeping off his fever. 

I stared out the window at the huge moons. The playground only had a swingset left and about a dozen trees. The perception filter was likely damaged everytime we crossed it. 

Dan seemed fine though. Leaving the window I went to watch him draw.

"The building is huge, like a skyscraper. And round which I wasn't expecting. In essence, it just looks like an oversized soup can."

"You need to draw us that? I think we get the picture."

He shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "John asked for one." 

"Right."

I wandered over to John. "Have you figured it out?" I asked taking the clock from him. 

"No." He said frustrated. "You ready Dan?" He asked changing focus.

Dan looked up, then at his rendition critically. "I could make it better but it'll disappear at the next reset."

He held it up for us to see. I gasped and tensed. It was like I couldn't breathe but my brain couldn't connect the why or what. The clock slipped from my hands landing hard on the concrete. The building shuddered on impact. We all froze. I glanced but the room was fine. Nothing was broken and we all remained as before.

"The clock!" Shrieked Gemma.

I lifted it in my hands, the time read 5:14 and the light flickered. I looked up but everyone was focused on the wall above me. I followed their gaze. The hands of the clock mounted on the wall were turning backwards rapidly until settling at about 5:05. It ticked forward as before. 

Dan came towards me and set the clock on the table. "Maybe we shouldn't touch that anymore," his tone was one of the reasons I got over him. 

Everyone's faces gave me pause. They were horrified. Glaring hard at Dan's back. John looked very concerned but in an angry focused sort of way.

Gemma pointed. "What's that?" The fear in her voice made Dan turn, concern crinkling his brow.

"What? What's the matter?"

With his back to me I could see it now. It made me shudder. More than the drawing. Instinctively, I pulled away. Wanting to be far from him and it. 

What _was_ that?


End file.
